An End and a Beginning

"We have enough food!"

Zhang Baojia murmured something.

From peace to ruin, to destruction, and now, Zhang Baojia doesn't know whether Zhang Household Village is a dying struggle or a rebirth after escaping Huainan.

They escaped the heavily guarded mine, no longer needing to worry about being dragged out and never coming back.

But for many homeless people, survival is a difficult task.

They fled from Huainan to the vicinity of Chang'an City, where their herd of horses was discovered by patrolling soldiers, forcing Zhang Cigong to negotiate. They then fled on foot until they reached the vicinity of a large city.

They had no food, no water, no shelter, and they didn't even have bowls to hold their food.

Zhang Baojia and his companions only had some simple knives they brought from Huainan.

The Chang'an City was not a peaceful place. As newcomers to this region, they were ostracized by the previous inhabitants, which often led to various disputes.

They retreated all the way to the edge of this civilian area.

After Rong Tianding rushed to Huainan again.

They started with nothing, but fortunately, they encountered the right person when they were managing the land of a man named Xu Yuan.

A few days later, Rong Tianding returned in a hurry, which led Zhang Baojia and others to further bind themselves to Xu Yuan and Xu Ji.

After that, they engaged in labor such as searching for wild vegetables, hunting, fishing, and cultivating land.

In this densely populated area, getting enough to eat is a luxury. All normal edible food has been looted and taken, and even field mice that steal grain are skinned and eaten.

Life was tough for the people of Zhang Household Village, and there was also much debate about whether to relocate to areas with more wild animals.

As the village chief, Zhang Baojia's authority had almost plummeted to rock bottom, but at the same time, Zhang Xuezhou, who had never shown his face, had his prestige soar to an unspeakable level among the people of Zhang Household Village.

The numerous controversies ultimately ended with Zhang Zhong's statement, "Xuezhou sent us here to make a living," leaving even Xu Ji, who had repeatedly offered suggestions, with no choice but to give up.

The people of Zhang Household Village are anxiously waiting, wanting to know if Zhang Xuezhou has escaped Huainan, if he has rescued anyone else, and how they will survive in this unfamiliar area.

Everything only began to have a preliminary answer last night.

Looking at the brand-new golden bronze cauldron, the new containers, the baskets of millet, and the pork that made Zhang Baojia's mouth water.

His tense nerves finally relaxed, which even made Zhang Baojia feel dizzy and his vision blurred.

His gaze swept over the crowd, and he saw that many of the elders had gray hair and beards, clearly understanding the pressure and blows they had endured over the years.

"It's over, it's finally over!"

Zhang Baojia.

"This is an end, but also a new beginning for us!"

Zhang Zhong, who was standing to the side, corrected Zhang Baojia's words.

He looked at Zhang Xuezhou surrounded by a large group of young people, and listened to Zhang Xuezhou's methodical arrangements.

Zhang Xuezhou reassured everyone in the village last night, and the large amount of food he brought today filled them with hope.

Even the people of Zhang Household Village had never eaten so much meat and millet in a month, but now the food was unlimited, and they could eat as much as they wanted.

This isn't something you'll eat for one or two meals; the supply of this food will last for a very long time, long enough for the people of Zhang Household Village to have a completely stable life.

"We're getting old," Zhang Baojia murmured.

"They're still young," Zhang Zhong said. "As long as they can support their families, finding wives Chang'an City won't be difficult, and new men will keep joining our village!"

"You're right!"

The generation that was once in their prime in Zhang Household Village has grown old, but they still have the middle-aged and young generations, and there will be a new generation in the future.

The village is gone, but their village will continue to exist.

Zhang Baojia originally had a sense of resignation and surrender, like a lamp burning in his twilight years, but Zhang Zhong's words brought him back to reality.

"Xuezhou is an official in the imperial court, so he can't supervise us all the time," Zhang Zhong said in a low voice. "We still need to work harder to achieve self-sufficiency as soon as possible, and we might even need to provide him with manpower and resources. The higher he rises, the better we'll live, just like in the Northern Border Military Region. As long as the leader we follow is capable, the treatment in our squad will be better!"

"Good!"

Zhang Baojia didn't need Zhang Zhong to give examples; he understood the underlying principle perfectly well.

The two discussed the matter in hushed tones, with Lady Yourong occasionally adding to the discussion, while Zhang Houtu, Zhang Houmu, Zhang Changgong, and others nodded and shared their thoughts.

"Gentlemen, we've traveled a long way and are exhausted and hungry. Could we please have some food here?"

Zhang Baojia and the others discussed in hushed tones when someone spoke up from behind the thorns.

This made Zhang Baojia turn around and look.

He glanced at the tired and sallow faces of the crowd, then looked at the other person's rosy cheeks.

"You've come at just the right time! We just received some food from a kind person in the city and were about to line up for a meal. If you don't mind the mess here, please come and have some!"

Zhang Baojia was old, but he was still able to see people clearly.

He had not only met some skilled fighters in the army, but also some high-ranking figures in Huainan.

The wealthy young man before me may appear gentle, but his swordsmanship is exceptionally skilled.

He won't create new trouble if he can solve a problem with the price he can afford to pay right now.

Zhang Baojia got up, while Zhang Zhong used a machete to clear away the thorns blocking the way and let the person in.

"This food is very lavish," the wealthy young man said. "What do you usually eat that would make such a kind person send you grain and meat?"

"Tuotuo grass, Tailin grass, houttuynia cordata, white grass roots, and some fish," Zhang Baojia replied cautiously. "Why does the guest ask such a question?"

"Grass, grass, grass, roots?"

The wealthy young master was the new emperor who followed closely behind.

He had already dressed in very simple attire, just a plain set of close-fitting clothes.

If Zhang Xuezhou hadn't used intimidation to suppress the rebellion, the new emperor would have just taken a look from afar to get a basic understanding of the situation.

However, the presence of a cultivator at the Divine Ability Realm forced him to become closer and sought to infiltrate this area where the poor gathered.

They can dig up all sorts of grasses whose names they've never heard of, and they also fish. These people are not lazy, nor are there hundreds of lazy men and women gathered together waiting to die.

Having ruled out laziness as the cause of poverty, the new emperor was genuinely curious as to why these people had ended up in such a state.

If it weren't for the tripod and plates brought by Zhang Xuezhou and the others, the dark earthenware pot piled in the corner would have been the container for cooking food, and the less than ten bowls would have been the communal tableware.

There were no proper houses here, just two makeshift shelters made of dead branches and straw.

The clumps of grass piled up in the corner of the ground looked like blankets for these people to sleep on.

Aside from the tattered clothes on these people, the new emperor couldn't even find a single extra piece of cloth.

He found it hard to imagine how people could be so poor.

"What happened to you that led you to this predicament?" the new emperor asked.

"We've been scammed," Zhang Baojia said through gritted teeth.

"Scammed?"

The new emperor was slightly taken aback, finding the reasons for these people's poverty to be unexpected.

He thought these people had been forced to leave their homes due to floods, droughts, or other unforeseen circumstances, never imagining they had been tricked into this situation.

Being scammed like this is too shameful, and many people are clearly unwilling to continue responding.

When Zhang Xuezhou brought over a bowl of food, the new emperor blinked and looked at the newcomer beside him who had reached the Divine Ability Realm first.